Guwahati, October 25: A dreaded Maoist-linked militant, allegedly involved in multiple railway bomb blasts, was killed during a police encounter in Nadanguri, Kokrajhar district, Assam, on Friday early morning.
Militant Identified as Apil Murmu, Key Accused in Blasts
The deceased has been identified as Apil Murmu, also known as Rohit Murmu (40) from Jharkhand. According to Kokrajhar Police, Murmu was one of the key accused in a recent railway track bombing in Kokrajhar and had earlier been involved in a similar blast in Jharkhand.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kokrajhar, Pushparaj Singh, said that Murmu had carried out a railway track explosion in Jharkhand in October last year before fleeing to Assam. In Jharkhand, he was known as Rohit Murmu, while in Assam, he used the name Apil Murmu, claiming to be a resident of Grahampur village under Kachugaon in Kokrajhar district.
Links to Maoist Groups and NSLA
Investigations revealed that Murmu had links to both Jharkhand and Assam and was previously a member of the NSLA (National Socialist Liberation Army). When the outfit laid down arms, Murmu refused to surrender and escaped to Jharkhand, where he formed a breakaway faction and reportedly became a commander.
He later established connections with Maoist groups, expanding his militant network and participating in subversive activities in Jharkhand since 2015.
Coordination Between Jharkhand and Assam Police
A Jharkhand Police team had recently arrived in Assam to coordinate with local authorities in tracking him down. During the operation, police recovered a pistol, a grenade, a voter ID card, and an Aadhaar card issued in Jharkhand from the site of the encounter.
SSP Kokrajhar confirmed that operations are still underway in the area to apprehend other possible associates of the slain militant.x
